Catherine’s Comment–A Winter Wonderland Table Setting from Catherine Castle

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Catherine Castle, Catherine's Comments, clean romance, essay, Holiday table settings, inspirational romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, Winter wonderland

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Christmas is over, but don’t put your Christmas village away just yet or those special winter themed dishes you may have lying around, like these adorable Norman Rockwell tumblers pictured below.

Instead, use these selected pieces to create a winter wonderland table setting and this charming centerpiece.

For this table setting you’ll need

• Your winter village accessories. I used my skating rink, the snow covered trees and bushes, and as many village figurines I could find that showed people playing in the snow. If you don’t have a skating rink, don’t worry. Just add some more of your snow covered village buildings to make up for the lack.  The point is to create a winter scene. And who doesn’t think a Christmas village isn’t wintery?
• Some cotton batting for the snow
•  A white tablecloth.
• 4 blue plates. I had 4 turquoise blue plates that looked great on the table. If you don’t have 4 colored plates, mix with white, or use all white plates against a blue tablecloth. The point is to make a striking contrast between the dishes and the tablecloth.
• Cute wintery napkins. I pulled some darling snowmen out of my stash.
• Clear bowls. I had some with snowflakes on them.
• 2 white candle in glass holders

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Snowman napkin and snowflake bowl

Since I was using a smaller 48” diameter table, I set my skating rink at an angle to give more room for the village pieces.  If you have longer table you could spread the figurines out along the length of the table.

Honestly, the pictures I took did not do the table setting justice. It was so darned cute I wanted to leave it up all winter. But since that’s the table we eat at all the time, hubby would not have been happy.

snowman salt and pepper shakers

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Winter Wonderland table setting. If you don’t have a village, look at your Christmas decorations and see what you do have that represents winter. Some other options could include crocheted or plastic snowflakes, set on angles, in a snow bank of white cotton. Or maybe you have some snow-flocked small evergreen trees you could place in a cotton snowbank. Do you have a snowman collection? Use them. Let this setting inspire you.

Have a Happy New Year!

How about starting off your new year with a new read? Check out Catherine’s multi-award winning book The Nun and the Narc.

The Nun and the Narc

by Catherine Castle

Where novice Sister Margaret Mary goes, trouble follows. When she barges into a drug deal the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To escape she must depend on undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but when she finds herself inexplicable attracted to him he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take her final vows, will never be the same.

Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor—at least that’s what Jed Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness and compassion and in the process makes Jed question his own beliefs. After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the best agent possible, Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses and opening his heart. To lure her away from the church would be unforgivable—to lose her unbearable.

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

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Catherine’s Comments—An Elegant Poinsettia Themed Table Setting from Catherine Castle

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candles, Catherine’s Comments, Centerpieces, Christmas Table Décor, dishes, Holiday table settings, Mismatched Dinnerware, Poinsettias

Image from Pixabay

The table decorating elves have been busy at my house with a new place setting for your holiday meals.  Unlike the playful setting of last week, the elves and I decided to go for an elegant, poinsettia theme this Friday. Since red is the classic poinsettia color and gold makes for an elegant contrast to red, the elves and I chose the colors red, gold, and white.

Layering has been the part of Christmas theme so I started with a white table cloth. Searching through my placemats I added red and gold plastic poinsettia placemats topped with either a red or white contrasting plate. Don’t be afraid to use plastic items if they look elegant. A poinsettia napkin, placed so the flower shows, carries the flower theme onto the plain plates.

I dug through my candleholders and found a pair of heavy, square gold glass candle holders and then I paired them with tall red candles. I didn’t like the effect of the gold against the white table cloth, so to make the gold pop, I opened up a paper poinsettia coaster and placed the candles on top. If you don’t have a paper poinsettia coaster you could use a red napkin or, if you’re crafty, cut a poinsettia from construction paper.

If you don’t have gold candle holders search through your Christmas decorations for any gold items you might have. A strand of gold, or gold and red, beads artfully laid or looped around the base of glass candleholders would carry the gold theme onto the centerpiece. Or place your candle and holder in a white bowl or saucer and surround the candle with red and gold ornaments. To keep wax from dripping on the ornaments you might want to place a wax catcher, known as a bobeche, at the base of the candle.  

Clear glasses to mimic the effect of crystal completes the setting.

Well, that’s the table setting for this week. Be sure to come back next week for a new setting.

Happy Holidays!

After you’re done searching for your table setting items, take a break and check out Catherine’ multi-award-winning Inspirational Romantic Suspense book The Nun and the Narc. Available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

The Nun and the Narc

By Catherine Castle

Where novice Sister Margaret Mary goes, trouble follows. When she barges into a drug deal the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To escape she must depend on undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but when she finds herself inexplicable attracted to him he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take her final vows, will never be the same.

Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor—at least that’s what Jed Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness and compassion and in the process makes Jed question his own beliefs. After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the best agent possible, Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses and opening his heart. To lure her away from the church would be unforgivable—to lose her unbearable.

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

Catherine’s Comments—A Festive Candy Cane Table Setting from Catherine Castle

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A Groom for Mama, Catherine Castle author, Catherine's Comments, Christmas table settings, clean romance, Holiday table settings, romantic comedy, Sweet romance

Christmas is fast approaching!

Only 21 days!

This holiday has always been a big deal at my house. When I was younger I’d change out all the knickknacks, take pictures off the wall and exchange them for more Christmassy themes, and deck the house out to the hilt.

I don’t quite go to those extremes anymore, as arthritic knees and a bad back have slowed me down. But, every year I put up a different themed Christmas tree. either special ornaments from our childhood and family and friends, Southwest themed, crocheted stars and tiny metal candle holders with little red candles, the simplicity of poinsettias in the branches, gold travel ornaments from places we’ve visited, all white, all red, and whatever else I can think up. Or, I might put up my fiber optic tree, or the vintage aluminum tree my husband inherited from his grandmother, complete with color wheel. On occasion I’ve had them all up at the same time.

My sideboard can groan under the weight of my Christmas village, my Nativity collection, My Southwest Christmas figurines, or I could just have a rustic collection of candles and Christmas décor.  I fill every available pot and vase I can with silk Poinsettias and holly.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I have lots and lots of tree and Christmas decorations. My Christmas décor obsession is as bad as or worse than my dish fetish.

My table is no different. Most of the time I use my Corelle holly plates, but recently I’ve been venturing out into different table settings. I think it has something to do with the ease of setting a holiday table. Unlike the Christmas village which takes a couple of days to set just right, my dinner table goes up in a much shorter time—once I decide what I’ll do, that is.

Some of my blog readers have requested more table settings. So, I’m going to show off my new combinations in the coming weeks. In the upcoming posts I’ll be featuring tablecloths, placemats, napkin rings and Christmas decorations I’ve pulled from my decoration stash—and of course the mix and match dishes that started this whole blog series.

First up is a Festive Candy Cane Table. This would be a cute table setting for the kids’ table, or as a more casual adult setting. You could also surprise the family on a December night with this cheerful table setting. After all, the Christmas season lasts for a month. Why wait until Christmas Day or Eve to celebrate the season?

Here’s how I made this table setting: I started with an inexpensive plastic striped tablecloth I picked up a few years ago from our local Big Lots discount store. Then I added red and white plates and white salad bowls—some of the same dishes I’ve used in previous table settings.

I kept the centerpiece festive and kid friendly with a metal spiral tree decoration. The candle at the base of the tree is a faux battery lit candle, a safer choice for the children’s table, and it won’t destroy the charming ornaments suspended from the spiral branches. To make the centerpiece pop and pick up the green in the table cloth, I centered the tree on a round woven placemat. If you don’t have a plethora of placemats, like I do—another obsession of mine—you could use a green napkin, or two napkins set at 45 degree angles to each other to form an eight-point star. For a little more festive flair I created contrasting red and white bows from pipe cleaners and scattered them on the place mat.

To continue the candy cane theme I made candy canes from red and white pipe cleaners.

To make the pipe cleaner candy canes, twist a red and white pipe cleaner together from top to bottom the form the cane. To form the loop that holds the napkin, gently bend the pipe cleaner in half. Align about 1/4^th of the bent section with the bottom of the cane, then fold the straight remaining section at a 90 degree angle to the cane. Wrap it around your finger to form a circle. Loop the end of the circle around the cane to secure the circle and form the napkin holder section. Curve the top of the cane into a loop so it looks like a candy cane. Roll up your napkin to fit in the circle and arrange the cane so the top is level with the napkin edge.

If you don’t have any pipe cleaners, you could tie a ribbon around a real candy cane and then loosely wrap and tie the napkin in the ribbon. I didn’t have any candy canes, but I did have pipe cleaners so I improvised. Have I mentioned that I’m a crafter, too? I have lots of interesting things in my basement. 🙂

Lay your candy cane napkin in the center of your plate to finish off the table setting, and invite the family and friends to dinner!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Festive Candy Cane Table Setting, and I hope I’ve inspired you to set a fun and festive table at one of your Christmas holiday meals. Come back next week for another Christmas Table Setting.

Happy Holidays,

Catherine

If you enjoyed Catherine’s creative holiday table settings, why not check out one of her creative books. Her award-winning sweet, romantic comedy, with a touch of drama A Groom for Mama is a fun read and would make a great gift for the romance novel lover in your family. Here’s a peek at the blurb.

A Groom for Mama

By Catherine Castle

Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.

The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.

A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama.

A Groom for Mama is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Catherine’s Comments—Two Thanksgiving Table Settings from Catherine Castle

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A Groom for Mama, Catherine Castle, Catherine's Comments, Holiday essay, Holiday table settings, Table decor, Thanksgiving decor, Turkey Table Decoration

A couple of weeks ago I posted four holiday table place settings using twenty mismatched dishes. Readers loved them and I received requests for more. So, just in time for Thanksgiving, I’m posting three place settings using the same dishes, but with some seasonal dishes, napkin rings, and different centerpieces. These items are another way to add pizazz to the table if you don’t have a whole set of seasonal dinnerware.

This time I chose white dishes because I wanted the centerpieces to shine. I added a tiny turkey dish to the mix, just big enough to hold some butter or a small roll.  When I found these in the grocery store a few years back, I couldn’t resist them. (Remember I said I had a dish fetish.) Even though they are a one-season item, they take up very little storage space. In my opinion they were well worth the cost for the seasonal zing they add to the table. If you have any Thanksgiving themed dishes you can add them to a single color palate and allow the seasonal dishes to shine in the place setting.

I also added my leaf napkin rings to the mix. And a fall colored tablecloth, since I didn’t have four fall placemats.

When looking for fabric tablecloths check both sides of the cloth. Sometimes, they are reversible, like the one I used. One side is a deeper, more vibrant colors the other side muted. By just flipping the tablecloth you can change the whole look of the table.

I’m calling the first two place settings below “It’s all about the Turkey” because the place setting and the centerpieces focus on the turkey.

The next place setting uses the same dishes, but I changed the turkey centerpiece. I filled a smaller turkey basket with buckeyes and placed a battery-operated candle on top of the buckeye nuts. . I like to use battery operated candles because they are safer and less messy than a wax candle. You could use acorns or marbles or any other material to raise your candle to the proper height, or just use a taller pillar candle. The important part here though is the turkey basket.  If you don’t have a turkey basket, but have other turkey décor, go ahead and use that in the centerpiece. Remember the theme is “It’s all about the Turkey.”  

The last setting, using the same dishes, has a pilgrim theme. In this setting I placed the buckeyes into a clear cylinder vase and placed a short battery operated votive candle on top of the nuts. I had this quirky set of pilgrim figurines I bought at a dollar store, so I set them on either side of the vase, back to back to both sides of the table could see them.  

If you don’t have pilgrim figurines, buckeyes or a clear cylinder vase, you, and the kiddos, could construct a pilgrim hat from black poster board. Make a hatband and buckle from colored construction paper and glue it to the hat. Leave the top of the hat open and fill with silk, fall leaves or short branches from brightly colored bushes from the yard. A piece of floral inside the hat will help hold the stems in place. Place battery-operated votive candles around the brim of the hat.

And there you have it. Three different table themes using the same dishes and different centerpieces.  If you liked these ideas, please sign up to follow the blog. I’ll be posting some Christmas table settings in December and other holiday settings throughout 2021.

Here’s wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!

If you need a break from your holiday preparations, take a look at Catherine’s award-winning romantic comedy with a touch of drama, A Groom for Mama.

A Groom for Mama

By Catherine Castle

Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.

The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.

A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama.

Available from Amazon.

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.